The Ski and Board Registered Student Organization at the University of Indianapolis held a callout meeting for students interested in becoming their first group of members of the winter sports RSO on Sept. 19, where they welcomed UIndy skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels.
Junior sports management and business double major Campbell Thomason serves as the president of UIndy Ski and Board. He said he started the plans for the RSO around Christmas in 2018. He began contacting students to see if they would be interested in it, and when he got positive responses, he put his plans into action, Thomason said.
“I started it [the RSO] by myself because I’ve been around snowboarding since I was five. And then looking at other college’s ski and snowboard clubs, those clubs are one of the biggest clubs on other school’s campuses,” Thomason said. “I just thought it’d be a great thing to bring to UIndy.”
According to Thomason, the first callout meeting brought on 30 new members and he expects many more. In order to become an active member of the RSO, students must pay a $20 fee. By paying this fee, they get a t-shirt, bumper sticker and discounts to the ski resorts that the RSO will be partnering with, according to Thomason.
Thomason said that the RSO is going to start hosting bonding activities that will be available to all students, but only active members will be able to attend closed meetings. They will also host events over the summer for team bonding.
Junior elementary education major and Vice President of Travel for Ski and Board Aubrey Schmeltz said that her job is to plan all of the trips for them. Right now, she is planning a big winter trip to Colorado. According to Schmeltz, anyone will be able to go on the trip as long as they pay for their own travel.
Schmeltz said that multiple other colleges’ Ski and Board clubs will be there.
The resort they are going to will have headlining artists for the events of the week, so students have activities to do other than being on the slopes. According to Schmeltz, one of the headliners will be Rich the Kid.
“I have always been involved in skiing and snowboarding and so Campbell [Thomason] reached out to me,” Schmeltz said. “I was talking to him about it when he first got it started and I showed interest in the club and then I just kind of started helping and pitching in different ways.”
The goal of this RSO, according to Schmeltz, is to get people interested in winter sports, such as skiing and snowboarding, and to spend time with people who have common interests. She said that her and the other leaders want it to be a place for students to have fun, blow off steam and bond with other students. According to Schmeltz, they wanted to do more activities that students would be interested in, instead of only holding meetings.
“I think our goal is just to get as many people out and doing it and exercising and having fun. It’s just the environment that you are in as well,” Schmeltz said. “A lot of people that are in this club…or even just skier-snowboarders, we are a lot more laid back. [There is] a sense of just more chill and we like to have a lot of friends…it’s kind of being there for everybody and [at the same time] you get to have fun and go enjoy doing something that you love.”
